Project Lead the Way: Marshall County Implementation

07/17/2014

Nine teachers from the Plymouth, Bremen, Triton, and Argos school corporations recently completed training through the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program in South Bend. These teachers will provide instruction in several new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses offered in the Launch (K-5), Gateway (6-8), Biomedical Science (9-12), and Engineering (9-12) programs.

The new STEM course offerings will begin in the fall of 2014, and will include the following:

Argos - Gateway

Bremen - Gateway & Biomedical Science

Culver - Engineering

Plymouth - Launch, Gateway, Biomedical Science, and Engineering

Triton - Launch, Gateway, and Biomedical Science

In the first year of the PLTW program, Marshall County has increased its STEM curriculum offerings from 4 to 15 and from 2 to 5 school corporations. Regionally, 27% of the first year program implementations were developed in Marshall County. Approximately 64% of students now have access to the curriculum, up from 18% last year.

As MCEDC implements the BEAR (Business Expansion and Retention) program, we are continually hearing from local businesses that there is a need for workers with STEM-based knowledge. These businesses anticipate that the courses offered through the PLTW curriculum will assist in providing the necessary education and skills required from their future workforce.

Recognition and special thanks goes out to all the public and private partners that have committed funds to the program, and to Linda Yoder, Executive Director of the Marshall County Community Foundation, and to the MCCF Board for their leadership.

Funding for implementing additional programs is available through 2016.